Outside Lands returns

“I think that Outside Lands is a great place to get together with friends before school and just let loose a little before you have to lock in,” she said.

Major headliners for the festival, which has a three-day run from Aug. 8 to Aug. 10, include John Summit; Tyler, The Creator; Hozier; Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals; and Doja Cat.

Patil said that among the Friday artists, she’s most excited to see both Doechii, a rap artist whose quick lyrical style has shot her to expeditious fame in recent months, and Role Model, whose catchy indie pop songs often garner TikTok fame.

They’ll both perform at the same time at different stages — often a 10- or 15-minute trek among groves of cypress and eucalyptus trees adorned with twinkling lights and trippy sculptures — forcing Patil to make a hard decision.

Regardless, she’s thoroughly enjoying her first Outside Lands, she said.

“I really like it. I’m excited to eat some of the food,” she said. “A lot of the artists I’m really excited to see today are in the evening, so I’m just excited for the lineup to get started, going back and forth between the artists.”

While Outside Lands is a renowned music festival, it’s also become well-known for mouthwatering festival bites. This year, well-known upscale sushi restaurant Nobu is serving up chicken katsu donburis and rock shrimp tempura, for example, and San Francisco establishment Smish Smash is bringing back the well-loved smashburger.

One vendor on site, Curry Up Now, was founded as a food truck in Burlingame by married couple Rana and Akash Kapoor in 2009. After drawing success, the first brick-and-mortar location was established in San Mateo.

Fifteen years later, the national franchise has brought one of its many food trucks to the Outside Lands food lineup. Josh Yazzie, head of the food trucks, said even after working the festival for 12 years, the experience is really enjoyable.

“It’s really fun to be here, everyone wants to be here,” Yazzie said. “There’s so much great food so we’re among really great restaurants.”

Although the festival takes a significant cut from vendors, and the competition seems to grow every year, Yazzie said employees still enjoy working to long hours and tuning in to the music.

“I’m getting older so I don’t know a lot of the bands that play here but every so often I’ll go off and see a band,” Yazzie said.

The food truck this year is located at Lindley Middle East, right near the north main gate entrance. The food truck offers traditional Indian flavors in easy-to-eat ways, from tikka masala burritos and mini samosas. A popular favorite are “Sexy Fries,” or sweet potato fries topped with cotija and mozzarella cheese, and a choice of curry on top.

Outside of the food, Outside Lands also intentionally curates community hubs for its attendees. One can see couples getting married at Flower Lands, enjoy a variety of locally-sourced wines at Wine Lands, or engage with community and national nonprofit organizations at The Mission, an advocacy space within the festival.

HeadCount, a nonpartisan voter registration organization, has a booth at The Mission helping festivalgoers register to vote. They’ve attended Outside Lands for the past 17 years, registering more than 5,000 voters at the festival, Communications Director Daniel Jubelirer said.

Not only is HeadCount able to connect with a young audience who are potentially voting for the first time, they’re also able to work with the artists and performers that draw large crowds, he said.

“These performers, these artists, we want to really help them … talk to their fans, because a lot of artists want to make an impact, and they want to help our democracy and create positive social change,” Jubelirer said. “And we help them do that.”

Chris Kiyoto, who works in San Mateo County, said he often finds himself and his work colleagues spending their free time in the city to attend events such as Outside Lands.

Although Kiyoto is a San Francisco resident, he described the city as a younger, more vibrant community that attracts people from all around the Peninsula to make the trek to Golden Gate Park.

“The younger crowd definitely likes going to the city to have an enjoyable time,” Kiyoto said. “The convenience of being surrounded by friends makes it easier to go grab a drink with friends or go to these concerts on the weekends.”